Search for missing Anne Faber continues; suspect arraigned today
The search for missing 25-year-old Anne Faber from Utrecht continues in a nature reserve in Zeewolde on Thursday. The police started searching the area on Wednesday, but had to stop when darkness fell. 27-year-old suspect Michael P. will be arraigned on Thursday afternoon, NOS reports.
Faber disappeared while cycling on September 29th. The police's search for her initially focused on Huis ter Heide, where items of her clothing were found. After P. was arrested, the search extended via Den Dolder to Zeewolde, the suspect's home town.
P. was arrested in a psychiatric institution in Den Dolder. In 2012 he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for raping two teenage girls in Nijkerk in 2010, according to NOS. After his arrest on Monday, it was reported that P. was transferred to the psychiatric institution to start preparing him for a gradual return to society. Over the past days it was revealed that he was allowed outside without supervision and had access to his mother's car.
On Thursday morning AD and the Telegraaf reported that P. knows the nature reserve the police are searching quite wel. At the Horsterwold holiday park, right next to the search area, the police searched a house that belongs to P.'s uncle on Wednesday, according to the newspapers. Witnesses also reported seeing P. in the woods next to the holiday park a number of times over the past year, including on the day Faber disappeared.
The Telegraaf also reported that P. enjoyed a lax regime at the Den Dolder institution, possibly because he had a relationship with one of the counselors that works in the clinic.
P. is in restricted custody, which means that he is only allowed contact with his lawyer. It also means that his lawyer is not allowed to comment on the case. The police have also been hesitant about providing information on the case, as it may harm the investigation. On Thursday afternoon a magistrate will decide whether P. can be kept in custody.
